The Islanders will be in Washington for Game 5, still fuming about the hit by the Capitals’ Tom Wilson that knocked Lubomir Visnovsky out of Tuesday’s loss — and quite possibly longer — but trying to keep their focus on what is virtually a must-win game.
“We’ve seen the hit,” Matt Martin said after practice Wednesday at Nassau Coliseum. “I think we can throw those hits, too. It’s been a physical series. There’s a lot of hockey to be played.”
Martin, the fourth-liner who doesn’t shy away from hits, made it clear the importance of the game would override whatever desire for retaliation the Islanders might feel.